I come bearing sad death fic. Sorry.
In retrospect, I don't think Raphael was actually wearing his crucifix when he died, but it adds drama if he is, and (as you may have been able to tell), this fic was mostly written for drama.
The title is Latin for "final act of mercy," sort of a play on the fact that the sword with which Sebastian stabs Raphael is a misericorde ("act of mercy," as it's normally used for the mercy stroke).
Disclaimer: I don't own TMI.
"…He drove the blade into Raphael's heart."
"No!" Magnus screams as Sebastian yanks the blade back out and Raphael falls to his knees, blood gushing out from the wound in his chest. Luke watches in confusion; had Magnus not just said Raphael had disappointed him? Are they so close that Magnus cares for him regardless?
Sebastian smirks as he slips out of the room, but Magnus doesn't seem to notice; he throws himself forward, straining against his chains. They hold his arms back just enough that he can't quite reach Raphael. "Help me," Magnus demands of Luke as he tries to reach Raphael's trembling, bleeding body once more.
"Magnus, he was going to work with Sebastian," Luke protests. Magnus turns to face Luke. There's something wild in his eyes, and for the first time, Luke understands why so many fear the High Warlock of Brooklyn.
"Help. Me," Magnus snarls. Luke goes over and picks up Raphael, depositing him next to Magnus.
"Why isn't he dead yet?" Luke asks as Magnus' hands flutter over Raphael's body.
"The sword only grazed his heart," Magnus replies, putting his hands against the wound. "Sebastian did this on purpose, that bastard. If I could use my magic I could save him." Magnus' hands are now covered in blood, but he doesn't move them. Raphael chokes as his blood begins to fill his mouth.
"Why did you tell him you would join him, you idiot?" Magnus whispers to Raphael, looking close to tears. Luke watches silently. "You could have escaped this. We all may still escape this."
"I am not noble, Bane," Raphael choked. Magnus made a noise that sounded disturbingly close to a sob. "I did not think anyone would cry to see me dead."
"You ass," Magnus retorts, but there's immeasurable fondness in his tone. Raphael's trembling hands raise to the crucifix around his neck.
"Keep it," he tells Magnus, turning his head to spit blood on the ground. Luke can see a creeping blackness spreading from the wound in his chest; he knows it won't be long before Raphael's body crumbles to dust.
Magnus' hands shake as he unclasps the thin gold chain. "Don't you want me to give it to your mother?" he asks. Raphael shakes his head.
"Keep it," he repeats. Magnus grips the golden crucifix tightly.
"I will," he promises. Raphael stutters out a choking laugh.
"I wish I had never met you, Bane," he admits. The darkness is spreading. "You made me care about doing the right thing, even though I am a monster."
"You are no monster, Raphael Santiago," Magnus contradicts. A tear falls from his eyes to Raphael's cheek. "I have met monsters, and you are not one of them."
"Do not tell my mother how I died," Raphael requests, his hand spasming as he tries to grip Magnus' waistcoat. "Do not tell her how I disappointed her."
"You did the right thing," Magnus replies. Luke silently disagrees, but he keeps his mouth shut. "You are not a disappointment."
"I go to Hell now," Raphael whispers. Magnus presses a kiss to his forehead as he begins to dissolve into dust.
"You will go to Heaven," he whispers, and Raphael smiles for an instant before he turns to dust and is gone, leaving nothing behind but his crucifix and the blood on Magnus' hands.
"Raphael," Magnus whispers, staring down at the dust with a look of horror. "Raphael, no!"
"Magnus, he's gone," Luke says quietly. Magnus is crying, sobbing, as he picks up the dust and it falls between his fingers. "Magnus," Luke repeats, gripping Magnus' thin wrists. "He's gone."
Magnus looks at Luke with a heartbroken expression. "I thought he would stay," he whispers. "I thought he would live so I would not be alone."
Luke can't help but pull Magnus against his chest, letting him sob into his shirt as he clenches a fist around the little golden crucifix. Luke rubs a hand up and down Magnus' back, trying to do what he can to comfort him, even if he doesn't share or fully understand his grief.
Magnus may be hundreds of years old, but as Luke holds him in his arms, he seems very, very young.